Pad roller and mounting therefor



March9, 1937. E Ross 3 2,073,224"

PAD ROLLER AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed June 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. EPNEST P035 44 BY A ATTO NE) March 9, 1937. E. Ross 22,073,224

- PAD ROLLER mm uouirrme THEREFOR Filed June 7, .1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I7/ I72 8 L l 19' 68 A: m M mu 61 66 V 3r 7 I 52 77 INVENTOR.

EQNL-s-r Poss BY W ATTOR EY..

Patented Ma. 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,073,224 PADROLLER ANDMOUNTING THEREFOR Application June 7, 1935, Serial No. 25,423

Claims.

This invention relates to motion picture apparatus and particularly tofilm guiding mechanism known as pad rollers which are employed to holdthe film in engagement with the various film 5 drive sprockets orrollers.

In the advancing or driving of film in cameras, projectors, soundrecorders, sound reproducers, and printers, sprockets are employed foradvancing the film through the apparatus. The film is maintained inposition on the sprockets by means of rollers which bear against thefilm at the desired points. Rollers, around which the film is threaded,are also employed, the film being pulled over the rollers by thesprockets. Rollers are employed in sound recording units on either sideof the sound translation point and guide the film past this point. Padrollers may be used on one or both of these rollers to cause the film toexert a uniform pressure on the rollers and to maintain one edge of thefilm at a definite predetermined position.

The present invention is directed to a pad roller construction and amounting for these rollers which permits adjusting them both withrespect to their position transversely of the film, and their positionperpendicularly to the surface of the film, the principal object of theinvention being to properly guide the film over a sprocket or roller andmaintain a uniform pressure thereon in an eflicacious manner.

The object of the invention is partially accomplished by features of themounting structure which provide means for adjusting the bearing tensionand means for releasing the pad roller for efiicient threading of thefilm through the apparatus. Another feature of the construction is themeans for adjusting the position of the pad roller transversely of thetravel of the film and the means for maintaining one edge of the film ata constant predetermined position. A feature of the assemblyconstruction involving the pad roller is the construction of the casingof the unit which prevents the closing thereof 45 when any one of thepad rollers is in an inoperative position.

Other features of the invention will be obvious from the followingspecification read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in

50 which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a sound recording device,partly in section, illustrating diagrammatically a plurality of padrollers according to the invention.

55 Fig. 2 is a front view in detail of a preferred form of the padrollers which are illustrated in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on a line 3-4 of Fig. 2. I

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of 5 Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig.

5 but showing the locking means in a different 10 position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the notch which comprises part of themeans for locking the pad roller in either open or closed position.

Fig. 8 is a front view of a pad roller which is 16 also used as an edgeguiding roller; and

Fig. 9. is a side elevational view in section and is taken along theline 9-9 of Fig. 8,

Referring more particularly to the drawings. the invention is shown asbeing incorporated in 20 a sound recording unit I, although it is to beunderstood that this type of pad roller may be used in any motionpicture apparatus wherein the film is fed over sprockets or rollers. Thefilm 2 is fed into the sound recorder i from a supply 25 reel (notshown) and is led around one side of a feed sprocket 3 on which it isheld into engagement by my preferred form of pad roller 4. The film 2then forms a loop 5 and is drawn in engagement with a drive sprocket 6having a pad 30 roller 1 associated therewith, from whence it is drawnunder a free roller 8, over guide roller 9, which has an edge guidingpad roller 9 associated therewith, down past the sound gate shoe Ill,under roller ll, over free roller l2 and thence 35 back into engagementwith the under surface of the sprocket 6 against which it is held by padroller IS. The film 2 is then led under a roller H to the other side ofthe sprocket 3 which has a pad roller l5 associated therewith. From the49 sprocket 3 the film travels out of the unit I and onto a take-up reel(not shown).

A cover door I6 is provided at the front of the sound recorder I and ishinged as at H to the base of the unit to provide access to the interiorthereof for threading the film.

Referring now to Figs.2 to 6 which show in detail the pad rollers 4, I,I3, and II, a unit generally indicated at I8 comprises a stud member l9which has a threaded end portion 20 adapted 50 to be threadedly securedwithin a wall 2i. An enlarged hexagonal section 22 is provided adjacentthe threaded portion 20 which serves as a shoulder and also as a head toreceive a wrench for the purpose of securing the stud I! to the v videdonthestud ll adiacenttheheadfl. A yoke member 24 is provided with alongitudinally extending opening 24 in the upper part thereof.

one end of which is adapted. to be journaled upon the bearing portion 23of the stud II. The other end of the opening 2! is Journaled on a sleevemember 24 which is in turn rotatably mounted upon the outer end of thestud is. The outer end face 21 of the yoke member 24 is provided with aprojection 22 adapted to engage any one ofa number of detents 20 spacedaround a flange It provided on the end of the sleeve 24. The yoke member24 is provided with a pair of downwardly extending legs ii and 32 havingbearing portions 32 and 24 provided in the ends thereof i1; which arejoumaled the ends of a pad roller Referring again to Fig. 3, it will benoted that a torsion spring II is loosely mounted over the stud l9 andwith one end 39 thereof embedded within the end of the bearing portion23 of the stud It. The other end 40 of the spring I8 is secured within aslot provided in the end of the 2 sleeve member 2!. g

Thus it will be seen that by unscrewing a retaining cap screw 4|,mounted in the end of the stud II, the sleeve member 28 may be drawnoutwardly until the projection 28 clears the detents 22 at which timethe sleeve 20 may then be rotated to vary the amount of torque of thespring 38 and thus vary the spring pressure on the pad roller 2!.

I will now describe the locking means whereby the pad rollers may belocked in a retracted position to facilitate threading the fllm over thesprockets. Mounted between the head portion 22 of the stud IO and thewall 2| is a rectangular plate 43 having a raised portion 44 at itslower end which lies adjacent the inner surface of the leg 32 of theyoke member 24. The raised portion 44 is provided with an opening 4!, asshown in Fig. 4, comprising a small notch 48 which communicates with alarger notch 41.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that a lock releasing or detentrod 48 having a finger piece 40' is mounted in bearings Ill and SIprovided in the legs II and 32 to permit longitudinal movement of therod 49. An enlarged head I2 is provided on the inner end of the rod 40and forms the locking member. Fig. 3 shows the rod 49 in thelockedposition with the: pad roller ll out of engagement with thesprocket. In this position v the head 52 will rest in the larger notch41. as 55 seen in Figs. 4 and 5, and the pad roller 15 will be held inretracted position against the action of the torsion spring 38 due tothe engagement of the head 52 with the front edge I4 of the notch 41(see Figs. 4 and 7). Therefore, it will be seenthat when finger piece49' is pushed to press the rod 40 inwardly, the head 52 will bedisengaged from the notch 41 and will allow the spring 38 to rotate theyoke member 24 in the direction of the arrow A (Fig. 2) until the rod 49and its head 5 I2 assume the position shown in Fig. 6 and in the dottedlines of Fig-4 wherein the head 52 is below and out of engagement withnotch 41, the rod 49 coming to rest against the left edge of notch 46.Consequently, the pad roller 35 is brought adjacent the sprocket 36 asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, but, is stopped from actual contactwith said sprocket by rod 48 resting against the left edge of notch 46.The distance between the surfaces of the sprocket ll and the pad roller35 is preferably .001 to .002" more than the thicka,ovs,sa4

ness of the film used. A U-shaped spring ll attached to the plate 42 asby screws ll tends to force the head '2 of the rod. into locked positionwhen the yoke member 24 is rotated so as to align the head 42 with theopening 41.

In order to adjustably limit the travel of the pad roller II, I providean arcuate slot II in the plate 43 in which is mounted anadjusting screwII. Thus it will be seen that by releasing the screw II, the plate 43may be rotated one way or the other about the axis of stud II to limitthe travel of the yoke 24 and the pad roller 34 about the stud It.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9, the edge guiding pad roller 8' is shownin detail. The general construction. of the pad roller 2' is quitesimilar to that of it having a similar limiting plate and slot (Figs. 2to 7) except that it is provided with means generally indicated at CI toadiust it in an axial direction to locate the film in the correctlateral position as it passes the sound gate II. The stud I! is providedwith an enlarged bearing portion ll adjacent the portion 23' which isadapted to slide within an aperture 02 in the wall 2|. An extendingportion 43 of the stud ll extends through a bearing 04 provided in apro- Jection or extension CI of the wall 2|. A reduced portion 08 at theend of the stud I9 is seemed as by a pin 81 within the lower end of across-piece I. A compression spring 59 is provided on the stud II andengages at one end a shoulder ll formed by .the bearing portion II, andat the other end, a shoulder 02' formed in the aperture 82 to urge thepad roller I away from the wall 2i. This action is resisted by anadjusting screw II which is threadably mounted within the projection 0!.The rear end of the screw H is provided with a reduced portion 12received in a bearing provided at the upper end of the member ll. Thusby rotating the screw H the pad roller I may be moved in or out tocorrectly position the fllm laterally in respect to the fllm gate II.

The roller 13 oi the pad roller unit 9' is composed of two parts 14- andII, part I! being a press flt and part 14 being loosely mounted upon asleeve member or cylinder ll which, in turn, is rotatably mountedupon anaxle I1. The axle I1 is secured between the lower portions of thedownwardly extending legs 3| and 22'.

A pair of washers I2 and I! are provided on either side of the sleeve 10to provide side bearing members for the roller 14. The part I4 of theroller 13 is provided with an enlarged annular groove which accommodatesa spring II. The spring ll engages at one end a shoulder 82 at the innerend of the groove Ill and at the other end a shoulder 83 provided on thesleeve I4. Thus it will be seen that the fllm is always kept inengagement with the guide flange ll formed on the part 15. Both theflange II and a corresponding flange 84 on the part I4 are slightlybevelled to prevent undue friction between the film and the sides of theflanges.

It sometimes happens that the operator may forget to release all of thepad rollers from their retracted positions after he has completed thefilm threading operation. To insure against-this, projecting lugs suchas 56, one for each pad roller, may be provided on the front door ll ofthe apparatus as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. Each of the lugs56 is adapted to strike against the outer face of one of the legs 4|only in case the pad roller is in the retracted position as shown inFig. 2, and thereby prevent the closing of the door It until all of thepad rollers are released.

What is claimed is:

1. A pad roller assembly comprising a yoke, a pivotal support therefor,a pad roller carried by said yoke, adjustable tensioning meansconcentric of said support and urging said pad roller towards a filmsupport, stops at different distances from thefilm support, manuallyoperative means carried by said yoke and selectively engageable withsaid stops, and tensioning means releasably engaging said detent withone of said stops to hold said pad roller open.

2. A pad roller assembly comprising a stud adapted to be fastened to awall supporting film driving apparatus, a yoke having a spring barrelaround said stud, a spring in said barrel around said stud, means foradjusting the tension ofsaid spring, a pad roller carried by said yoke,a detent rod slidably supported by said yoke, a stop plate on said studand having stops cooperating with said detent rod, and means forangularly adjusting said stop plate to adjust said stops ,in the arc oftravel of said detent rod.

3. A pad roller assembly according to claim 4, wherein the inner end ofsaid detent rod is provided with a head, one of said stops comprising aslot to receive said head, another of said stops comprising a smallerslot adapted to receive and stop said rod when said head is pushedthrough the said slot therefor and when said yoke is rotated by saidspring, means for resiliently retaining the head of said detent rod insaid head receiving slot, and a finger piece on the outer end of saiddetent rod.

4. A pad roller assembly for guiding film over a moving surfacecomprising a. supporting wall, a

stud mounted in said wall, a yoke mounted on said stud, a pad rollermounted on said yoke, an extension on said wall for accommodating saidstud, a spring surrounding said stud within said extension and urgingsaid stud from said extension, and screw means for resisting said springaction, said screw means determining the position of said pad rollerwith respect to said supporting wall and being operable from the yokeside of said wall.

5.. A system for guiding film over a moving surface comprising a rolleradapted to bear on said film at a point of contact between said rollerand said film, a stud for mounting said roller, means on said stud forvarying the pressure exerted by said roller on said film, a resilientlymounted portion of'said roller bearing on the edge of said film, andmeans for adjusting said roller transversely 01' said film. I

ERNEST R058.

